While the Grand River’s banks are relatively woody, with considerable floodplain forest, it is far from pristine. “Polluted is kind of a strong word,” says Julie Craves, but “it’s often silty, and more serious problems with pollution occur up and downstream in the more urban locations.” When a population of the dragonfly Ophiogomphus howei was found there, it was a departure from the relatively undisturbed environments where the species is known elsewhere. (Photo by Julie Craves)